Fungal inulinases: An interesting option for food sweetener production

Abstract

Inulinases are the enzymes, widely used in the food industry, that hydrolyze β-2,1 glycosidic bonds present in polyfructans such as inulin, a storage polysaccharide in several plants, to produce glucose and fructose. These enzymes are successfully produced by fungi and attracted special attention due to their potential applications in improving syrup quality and reducing production costs compared to high-fructose corn syrup produced from the starch. Inulinase has been used to produce both fructose syrups, by hydrolysis of chicory or artichoke Jerusalem, and inulooligosaccharides (IOSs), which can be used as a soluble food fiber, sweeteners, or prebiotics to increase the population of bifidobacteria in the intestine. In this chapter, the importance of inulinases in the food industry along with their mode of action and product formation is discussed.